It’s weird it’s not right?
The gnawing masses of mindless undead were unleashed when Sylvanas broke Azeroth’s most troublesome headwear. And shortly thereafter the Mawsworn resurrected approximately all of the Scourge lieutenants.
In Cata’s Plaguelands we see even a Scourge high school principle is enough of a troublemaker to get the Forsaken and Stormwindians to briefly team up.
So with presumably at least a few of those heavy hitters not getting instantly mobbed by mute hobos for magic socks and an Alaska’s worth of ghouls still largely unaccounted for you’d think they’d be a bigger problem.
9 Likes
Narratively, yes. That was the Blood Elf/Blood Knight armor recolor quest that you went on with Liadrin with. Upstart San’layn agitating the remaining Scourge, and maybe more he brought with, in the Ghostlands. I think there was some throwaway text about Duskwood being in rough shape. Pre-patch was all about the return of the Scourge and masses of undead across Azeroth, its what most of the nations’ leaders were dealing with.
So yeah, they’re out there, they are (supposedly) a problem, and it should still be an issue on the forefront of a lot of peoples minds, especially zones that have historically had Scourge/Undead issues. Of course, we don’t see any of this in game, its not mentioned as anything currently happening, and no indication of the current state of 90% of the world.
16 Likes
It’s a problem in the sense tht Quillboar are a problem in the Barrens and Murlocs a problem in Elwynn.
It’s just not the BIG Problem this week.
It’s more like a problem that’s being managed.
5 Likes
I think the current state of things is that the “Scourge” doesn’t exist anymore. What we have now are a bunch of mindless undead wandering around the Plaguelands and Icecrown.
These wandering undead are mostly just a nuisance, unless some enterprising Necromancer comes along and starts rounding them up for some dark purpose.
The last word we had on the Scourge was that various Warlords had emerged and were fighting one another to become the new master of the Scourge, while the Knights of the Ebon Blade were securing Icecrown Citadel.
The san’layn who attacked Quel’thalas was one of these warlords.
4 Likes
The Scourge is there but pretty much in shambles, all og scourge leaders are perma-dead. Crown of Domination has been nerfed to a green quality plot item. Frostmourne has been broken, remade, then broken again. And finally Icecrown is under Ebon Blade control.
At this point it’s all about kicking them while they’re down and keeping them there.
3 Likes
Is there an explanation to why we just don’t finish off what’s left of the Scourge? Shouldn’t we all just join forces and I don’t know… bombard the area? I imagine we could use those flying ships and have mages just pyroblast at will.
They are probably scattered all over Azeroth after the chaos when the crown of domination was shattered, with some staying out of sight. I doubt the sentient ones will stay near icecrown while the Ebon Blade are defending it.
2 Likes
Speaking of Scourge being a problem:
Azmourne is visibly a threat according to the Bronze Dragons which goes to show that Blizzard isn’t done with the Lich King nor the Scourge.
Incidentally we visit the Frozen Throne of Azmourne’s Timeline not that it matters since a Sands of Time Elemental taking the form of the Lich King(until we kill it) is the threat we are facing there sending the Lich King’s armies into the Dragon Isles.
The fact that the Infinite Dragonflight is manipulating the denizens of various AUs to invade Azeroth is troubling but the fact that Soridormi believes that Ashbringer having more Energy is a problem means that something strange in particular is going on in Azmourne.
6 Likes
Everyone hates roaches, they are everywhere in the world, you can kill one, maybe eradicate them from your house but still you can’t kill all of them in world, there are simple too many and everywhere, so the best thing you can do is take care of your house…
That is what the kingdoms of Azeroth are doing, dealing with the undead as they emerge, some are mindless and easy to pick off, some are gathered in small groups and pose little trouble for the armies but still can terrifies a small town or village, while others are under the control of necromancers or warlords trying to conquer something.
That is the problem, the scourge as a faction is dead, it died with bolvar and with the jailer’s poor use of them while we were in the shadowlands…
So you are not dealing with THE scourge anymore but rather with a pest. That what has become of the remaining undead, a nuisance like roachs.
5 Likes
Personally I thought it would be neat to have a minor, if not quest-line, then at least lore mention or tidbit about Forsaken trying to recruit/free some of the Scourge remnants into their ranks…it would be a realistic way to grow their population without val’kyr or morally questionable necromancy methods.
5 Likes
The Scourge is a triviality that’s wrapped up off screen these days. That chapter in World of Warcraft is over and all that.
That is the default origin story for Forsaken PCs.
This should be happening… Horde Cryptlords would be neat to see.
3 Likes
As someone who played undead (and still does) since vanilla, yes, I’m perfectly aware of the origin of the original Forsaken. I mean recruiting/freeing current Scourge remnants to build up their ranks.
If they were smart they’d recruit the Scourge Warlords remaining and send emissaries to Scholomance promising them protection and resources to become their personal necromancers and offer the Cult of the Damn clemency for providing fresh recruits.
The Horde would do well to recruit whatever San’layn, Banshee, free willed ghoul/abomination, or higher level undead. If they’re lucky get their liches in their employ, though I assume Bolvar and the Ebon Blade are recruiting as well any and all warlords and Scourge forces wise enough to bend the knee to the Highlord.
Great idea. Then the Forsaken can all act surprised when the cultists and liches - i.e. those undead who willingly joined the Lich King because they wanted to help him kill and enslave every person on Azeroth - try to take over and turn the Forsaken into a new Scourge.
2 Likes
Yeeeaaah… Given history, about the fastest way to turn Quel’thalas against the Forsaken, now that they don’t even have the Late Ranger General to advocate for them, would be for the Forsaken to attempt to recruit San’layn.
Both of you unimaginative people really want a stagnate narrative huh? Even the attempt to reach out to some of these former Scourge warlords, with the option of quit your shenanigans signing a sort of truce or agreement not to harass the Forsaken and Horde, join and be rewarded, or die are narrative beats we all could use. It is not as if the Forsaken already don’t have liches, banshees, undead elves, and abominations among their people. Whats another few, a nerubian, undead vrykul or what have you?
Even if there is a dubious warlord who joins, assuming the Forsaken wouldnt have their own vetting process or they some how snuck through it, its no different than any number of splinter groups, irregulars, or cultists that have plagued every nations ranks since day one.
8 Likes
No - I want the Forsaken not to be the flipping Scourge. To not wish to be the Scourge. Take your Fifth Column fantasy and run with it, if that is your thing, but WHEN the Forsaken have been revealed as unwitting pawns in Sylvanas’ self-centered crusade, they ought to have reaped consequences of deeper, abiding mistrust from the rest of the Horde and, if actually innocent, be bending over backwards to demonstrate that they have no such dubious intent.
I want the Forsaken NPCs withdrawn from the Ghostlands. I’d rather trust the Ebon Blade. I’d rather trust Illidari. I’d rather trust Satyrs at this point.
From outside undeath, after the events of BfA and SL, Forsaken look shady as hell. And pretending that’s going to be overlooked is naive.
You want to be Forsaken? Great - they’re in the game. But part of that is the abiding mistrust of the living. No one is going to just smile and nod while you cozy up to warlords of the Scourge.